Car Crash
by hopeistheway
Summary: When Danny's life literally spins out of control in a huge accident, what can he do to stop the ensuing disaster? And Vlad attempting to take over his life- again- isn't helping the situation at all.
1. Chapter 1

It was a rainy night.

It was bright enough to see the clouds, but the dark grayish color of the sky seemed to spread everywhere, distorting their colors.

At least with the speed of the vehicle, that's how it seemed, thought Danny as he gripped his seat.

He never became accustomed to his father's crazy driving skills, but today, Jack Fenton had the RV slipping and sliding crazily.

"So, son!"

Danny somewhat calmed at the sound of his father's friendly voice and managed a weak smile. "Y-yeah! Uh, some weather, right?"

"You bet, Danny-boy! In fact, I haven't seen a storm like this since…"

Danny smiled wider as his father began to rant about how young he was when he learned ghosts controlled hurricanes, and somehow managed to turn the conversation into one involving fudge.

"…Anyways, I like any fudge- except tofu. That stuff is fake. You know you're girlfriend?"

"DAD!"

"Okay, fine! Well, tell her- you're friend- to drop the tofu and get the real stuff, because it's obvious that she'll never become what she wants when she grows up- I mean, look at me! I ate fudge, and now I got the job of my dreams! And I have the perfect family-"

_**SCREEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHH!**_

"_AHHH!" _

"_DANNY- AGH-!"_

"_DAD!"_

_**CRASH!**_

….

"D-dad?"

There was a terrifying silence- all except for the rain.

He stifled a frightened and pained sob. He needed to get this seat off of him- the car had flipped after it split in half…

He prayed no one was watching and phased out of the car.

"Dad! Where are you?" he cried in desperation.

There. The other half of the car… there it was, against a building, upside down.

"Dad!"

He ran to the wreckage and his heart dropped.

Blood was mixing with the rain.

"D-d-dad?"

He held his breath- and exhaled it loudly when he saw the back of his father's head against the driving seat, seemingly unconscious.

"Oh my god, dad… you scared me to death. Come on, wake up…"

His father didn't stir.

"Dad?" the bad feeling returned.

He slowly climbed into the vehicle and looked at his father- and with a wail of shock and alarm he scrambled back.

A large piece of glass had lodged itself into his father's head. The blood joined his abdomen where his body had been ripped in half.

For several moments, Danny sat by his father and willed for him through glassy eyes to wake up. "P-please…. Dad…. Wake u-up…" he whined.

He finally heard sirens- and then it struck him.

His father was dead.

And he didn't save him.

"DAD!" He sobbed. "DAD!" and he buried his face into what remained of the dead man's chest.

"Come here, son."

Danny didn't turn around, but cried harder when the policeman dragged him away from his father's corpse. "NO! NO! DAD!"

And through bleary, tear streaked eyes, he saw a policeman talking to Vladimir Masters.

...

Vlad had been in his limo when he saw the RV.

"Stop the car!"

He literally flew out and with no hesitation called the police. Then, to his horror, he heard sobs- coming from he car that held Jack's corpse. The police arrived.

To his annoyance he could not get Danny- he had to explain things to the police.

But when a policeman had dragged Danny away- crying and broken- they locked eyes.

Vlad saw fear, pain, and desperation.

He finished with the police and rushed to the police holding Daniel 'captive' in the police car.

"Daniel."

Danny slowly locked eyes with him.

"V-Vlad?"

He winced at the boy's voice- it held no hate or fear.

Only despair.

"Daniel… I need you to tell the police what happened."

"Why? Are they so stupid they can't see the he's dead?"

Vlad's eyes widened. Jack was… dead?

"Daniel…" He suddenly went rigid, and he felt sick. "Where's Maddie?" He suddenly gasped out.

Danny's eyes turned green and finally let anger replace his depression.

"You don't care about Jazz or my dad? You… you're…" He growled.

"_I'll kill you!_" He screamed and tackled the man to the ground.

"Daniel!" Vlad gasped out from underneath Danny.

"_Shut up!_" Danny cried, and started punching every inch of the man he could get his hands on.

"H-Hey! Someone grab that kid!" A cop yelled.

"I'll _kill_ you, Masters! _Do you here me? I will kill you!_"

"_Daniel!_" And with sudden authority and strength, grabbed Danny's hands and pinned him to the ground.

He hissed out, "Daniel… I understand you are upset. But you need to _think_. Is this what you want? To somehow _avenge_ you're father? I don't think he would approve. And if you would _think, neither would you._" Vlad stopped when he realized Danny's adrenaline rush had ended and he was now sobbing hysterically again.

"Oh, Daniel… what will I do with you?" He sighed as he let go of Danny.

The cop stood awkwardly to the side as he unloaded his tranquillizer.

"Wait."

The cop paused in his actions.

"Inject him. He needs to rest." Vlad stated as he helped Danny into the car, who silently obliged.

The cop hesitated.

"_Today,_ please."

The cop frowned and did as he was told.

Danny gasped, and said, "Please t-tell me y-you didn't d-do what I think y-you j-just did…"

"_Sleep_, Daniel."

Danny slumped forward and did just that.

It was then the cops and Vlad noticed that Jack Fenton's blood was not the only one that had been spilled. They rushed to take Danny to the ambulance.

Through the entire ride to the E.R, Danny did not stir, except for the faint shine of his tears that continued to fall, mixed with the red blood that trickled down the side of his head, which guaranteed his slumber.

The entire ride was filled with nightmares of a calm grey sky suddenly ruined by the screech of tires and then dead silence and blackness. Only the color red shined through.

Only red.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny's chin trembled as he stifled more sobs.

Usually, Jazz would run up to him and comfort him. Usually, she would hold him until he gained composure and told her what was wrong.

Not today.

Today Jazz was trembling with him.

Jazz had walked into her brother's room- where he had refused to leave since her father's death- and found him dryly sobbing on his bed.

She didn't bother to wipe the tears of her own face. She just sat down on the bed and joined him in his mourning.

After a few minutes, Jazz gently let go of Danny. "Danny…"

She was answered by loud sniffling. She pushed herself up into a sitting position before helping Danny do the same. When she finally saw his face, Jazz wanted to cry again. His face was completely red, and his eyes were black and blue from lack of sleep. And of course, he was covered with his tears.

"Oh, Danny…" Jazz cried, hugging her brother for all she was worth.

"Jazz?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Yes, D-Danny?"

"H-h-how c-c-can I d-do t-t-t-this? H-h-how can I m-m-m-m-move on? " He sobbed harder.

"Oh, Danny!" She cried before squeezing him tighter.

"How can I p-p-p-prot-tect people?" He moaned loudly.

Jazz shook her head in despair. "I…"

Suddenly, chills engulfed her as she heard her brother gasp.

She pulled away and saw the remains of a fading blue mist- Danny's ghost sense.

"Danny-!" She cried when she saw him pull away and rise to his feet shakily.

"I-I can d-d-d-do this." He hiccupped. "I h-have to."

Danny gazed at Jazz and saw the worry in them- the worry she would lose him, to.

"Jazz… I love y-you." He said before gently hugging her. "I-I'll be b-back."

He pulled away and turned into Danny Phantom, before flying out of the window of his bedroom.

Jazz watched until she couldn't see him anymore. She silently prayed that whoever was watching over them, if anyone was, that their family could make it through their hardships. "And please," She whispered, "Keep Danny safe."

…

Danny furiously wiped at his face, trying to rid himself of the flowing tears. No one would suffer because he was weak! No one! Even if his father was dead…

Filled with remorse again, he closed his eyes as tight as he could and bit his lip until he drew ectoplasm. But no matter how hard he tried, tears continued to cascade down his face, and sobs continued to torment his scratchy throat…

"And _stay away_, you fat buffoon!"

Vlad.

"…BEWARE!"

…Box ghost?

Danny opened his eyes in surprise when he saw Plasmius firing an ecto-blast at the Box-Ghost, who was in full retreat. The ghost turned towards Danny, who winced in response. Memories filled his head unwillingly to the night of his father's death….

_September 13__th__, 9:56 P.M, Last week…_

"_I'll kill you, Masters! Do you here me? I will kill you!"_

_He heard nothing else but his stream of insults- until Vlad grabbed him suddenly and pinned him, despite his struggles._

"_Daniel," He had hissed, "I understand that you are upset. But you need to think. Is this what you want? To somehow avenge your father? I don't think he would approve. And if you would think, neither would you." The man had stopped his rant when he realized Danny had stopped his struggles and was reduced to sobbing hysterically again._

"_Oh Daniel…" Vlad had sighed, "What will I do with you?" He asked as he let go._

_Danny sobbed more loudly. He just didn't know. What was he worth? He couldn't save his father, he couldn't stop a simple accident- he couldn't do anything! _

_He wanted to scream, 'I don't know!' _

_He wanted to die._

_He wanted to take his fathers place the most, though._

_He barley noticed when Vlad helped him into the car, or how badly he was bleeding._

_He did notice the painful prick on his arm, though. He sharply looked up at a policeman, who was backing away with an apologetic look on his face as he tucked away a tranquilizer gun. "Please t-tell me y-you didn't d-do what I think y-you j-just did…" He managed to say through his sniffles as he felt a large headache and drowsiness coming on._

_With a hopeless sigh, Vlad answered, "Sleep, Daniel."_

_Danny silently obeyed._

_As the world faded from view, he heard sudden shouts and muscled hand pick him up._

_He was barley conscious when a worried voice said, "Hurry up, Barbra… He's so pale…" And then soft tied something tightly around his head. He finally drifted away after hearing the words, "Poor kid…"_

_September 14__th__, 3:09 A.M…_

_Danny groggily opened his eyes. He was aware of others in the dark room, but he was mostly aware of his pounding headache. "Ow…"_

_There were suddenly movements, and soft, cool, and extremely gentle hands were caressing his face. "Danny?" The person breathed._

"_Mom." Danny breathed out. He was so happy to see her. "Where am I?"_

"_You're in the hospital, honey. You had to get stitches… You cut your head on the glass."_

_Relief flooded through him as he realized what this meant._

"_So dad's okay? Nothing happened? There was no car crash?" He whispered, immense relief in his voice._

_His mother didn't answer. Danny slowly lifted his head to see her. _

_The woman's shoulders were shaking, and he saw her head ducked down with silent sobs racking through her._

"_No…" he whispered, before declaring more strongly, "No!"_

_His mother gasped when suddenly Danny was out of the hospital bed… trying to leave the room! "Danny!"_

_Staggering and swaying, Danny reached the door, opened it, and ran out- only to crash into a well-toned chest. He staggered backwards and almost fell, but two strong hands grabbed his wrists and supported his weight-which wasn't much._

_Slowly, Danny looked to see who had saved him from the fall- and saw Vlad Masters._

"_Vlad?" He asked in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Visiting someone I care about." He told Danny, before walking him back to his cot._

_Danny, still surprised and disoriented, obeyed._

"_Who's that?"_

_Vlad turned away from the boy. "Silly little badger."_

_Danny suddenly felt a lot more awake. "Fruitloop!" He stated._

_Maddie wiped away her tears before saying, "Danny, that was rude. Apologize."_

_Vlad didn't say anything as Danny blushed and complied._

"_Sorry…"_

"_Think nothing of it, dear boy… your father's death has taken a toll on all of us."_

_Danny squeezed his eyes shut, before he backtracked. "What?"_

"_Daniel… I know Jack and I were not exactly… on friendly terms…" Vlad said in a quiet voice, "but I do feel pity and remorse for you."_

_Danny suppressed another sob… he defiantly did not hear regret in the man's voice._

_Vlad was glad his father was dead._

_Suddenly, Danny let out a moan of despair. "Dad…" He wailed. _

"_Oh, baby!" Maddie cried, and wrapped her arms around Danny._

_Uncontrollable sobs echoed around the hospital._

_The entire time, Vlad bowed his head in understanding. _

_He knew exactly what it felt like to lose a loved one..._

Danny frowned, as he recalled how Vlad had not taunted him that day- it was very uncharacteristic, especially since the man had finally 'won', now that his father was dead-

Danny abruptly cut off his train of thoughts. Feeling sick, he met Vlad's gaze again before trying to think of something to say.

Finally, he managed a weak, "Vlad."

There was no sarcasm or teasing in his tone.

Vlad winced in return. He neared the boy before answering him with a short, "Hello, Daniel."

Danny lowered his gaze. "So w-what's up?"

Vlad smiled, before replying, "Nothing much. I wanted to see how you were managing."

Danny glanced up and angrily wiped away the remnants of his tears. "I'm fine- s-see?" He tried to smile, but it turned out as a grimace.

Vlad smiled with pity and took the boy's chin before wiping away a tear with his thumb. "You did not look fine at the hospital last week." He said solemnly.

Danny jerked his head away and mentally kicked himself.

_Nice, Fenton. He probably thinks you're a wimp now!_

"Well, I'm _just f-fine_ now!" He declared, wincing at his sniveling tone.

Vlad reluctantly lowered his hand, saying, "If you are certain... But you must remember- I only wish for your happiness, little badger… I understand how it feels to lose a loved one."

"Yeah," Danny agreed angrily. "You're a crazy stalker who loves my mom- even though she's married!"

"_Was_." Vlad corrected automatically.

Big mistake.

"_Shut up!"_

Vlad had half a millisecond to think, "_Oh, so the mood swings return…"_

There was a sharp _crack_ as Vlad's jaw was dislocated.

Eyes widening in surprise, he saw Danny coming back for another swing. Vlad quickly flew out of the way, but Danny still perused. "_Get back! Fight, you coward!_"

Frowning, Vlad dodged a well-aimed kick that would have broken his ribs. Feisty little badger.

"_Fight me!"_ Vlad dodged an ecto-blast.

"_Fight!_" He turned intangible to avoid the boy's ecto-rays.

"_Agh_!" Danny cried in desperation, while flinging himself at Vlad.

Soon, Danny wore himself out, and just limply hovered a few feet above the ground panting with wet tears streaming down his shaking body.

"Finished yet?" Vlad asked sarcastically.

With a weak glare, Danny turned and flew away. With a frustrated and annoyed sigh, Vlad turned in the opposite direction and followed suite.

He flew all the way to his office in the middle of Amity and transformed into his human form- Vlad Masters.

As he walked through the hall, putting on his 'mayor' face for anyone who smiled or greeted him, he couldn't help but ponder about Danny.

He felt immense guilt, which was not something he was accustomed to, begin to gnaw at him. He desperately wished he could stomp on it and make it go away, but he knew why it was so intense- He had gone through the same thing, and he knew that Danny was not strong enough to endure the pain alone.

Vlad sighed before entering his office and sinking into his chair, rubbing his jaw, reattaching it.

…Yes, Danny was strong.

But the strong always have an Achilles' heel.

Even someone as strong as Daniel.

…

Danny lay down gingerly before closing his eyelids, willing for the memories to fade away.

To his immense torture, they did not.

_The blood…_

_The gore…_

_Danny had gripped the man he once knew as 'father' and sobbed harder as he breathed in the scent of gore. "D-d-dad" He had whimpered…_

He felt like a little kid again- weak, helpless, and alone. Only now he didn't have a father to comfort him. _He had clutched the man's corpse, willing for fate to come back and change time…_

_Time. _

Danny's eyes snapped open. _Time! Of course! Clockwork could-_

…Danny felt his heart sink. Clockwork did not intervene, so _this_ was meant to be.

But the last time anyone died-

Danny's eyes widened. He sat up and tried to pull himself together. He could not- he felt his stomach flutter- turn into _him_. It couldn't happen, because he knew right from wrong now.

…Right?

Danny finally calmed enough so he could see clearly and breathe somewhat normally again.

He then silently vowed he would never hurt anyone that justice didn't apply to.

He only hoped he could keep his promise.

_**Well…. I updated. Heh, heh… Now I just need to do Single Minded. *Groans***_

_**Fun…. Well, until next time. -hopeistheway**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Breathe. _

_Run._

_Hide._

_He_ looked wildly around him. Where was he? _He _should be following him! _He_ should be here by now!

And suddenly _he_ was.

_He_ touched the trembling boy's shoulder, before softly saying, "It was only a matter of _time_."

He let out a moan of fear and unwillingly dropped to the ground- and saw his father's corpse. His reflection shone in the blood.

"No…" Danny whispered. "I didn't… No!" He whispered, horrified.

The mirror of blood showed _him_- no. It showed _himself_.

"No!"

But he did not awaken. So this wasn't a dream. "Oh, please, no…" He whispered.

Danny glanced around. _He_ was gone. All that was left was his father's blank stare.

But then, the most terrifying thing a boy of his age could witness happened.

_His father moaned._

_And then he started crawling towards him_.

"Agh!" Danny cried in fear before trying to scramble away.

His father grabbed his leg. "No! Get away! Get away!" He screamed, terror beyond words.

His father opened his mouth to speak. His voice was raspy and dead. "_I loved you_."

_That_ woke him up.

Maddie had been lying awake long after she put her children to bed. She glanced at the clock.

_12:07 A.M._

_Around the time her husband died._

She closed her eyes softly, letting tears cascade down her face. She thought of how her children must be feeling. Worse? Better?

Without a father, who could take care of them? Herself, surely… but she wouldn't be able to handle it on her own!

The word _counseling_ briefly crossed her mind, but she locked that thought away deep into her conscious.

What could they do? What should they do?

How could they-?

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!"

As she dashed out her bed, Maddie instantly knew it was her son's scream. Only he had that loud of a wail- he had inherited it from his father. Her heart clenched.

She threw open the door to Danny's room with an ecto-blaster in her hand. "Danny?" She called out, already looking around for threats as she crouched near her son in a protective stance.

She was thrown in for a loop when she heard him gasp in and out softly.

She realized he must be hurt. She quickly turned towards him just as Jazz came running in. "What's wrong? Danny?" She asked while joining the group.

Danny just shook his head and cried into his pillow.

Maddie vaguely thought _another nightmare?_ But shifted so she could hold her son.

"What's wrong?" She whispered to him.

He shook his head repeatedly and continued to soak her pajamas. Jazz laid her head on her brother and began to mumble reassuring words. After a while Danny had fallen asleep again. Maddie lowered his head onto the pillow before kissing him goodnight and led herself and Jazz out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Jazz mumbled to herself, before yawning. "I'm going to sleep." She announced, before dragging herself to her room.

Jazz listened until she heard her mother leave the hallway to her room.

She quietly got up and went into her brother's room where she planned to spend the night. He shouldn't have nightmares if she did.

As she snuggled closer to his soft form, she vaguely wondered what his dream was about. Sighing and deciding to see how it played out tomorrow, she wrapped her arms around him, gently smiling as she felt him snuggle into her embrace. She closed her eyes and held him tighter as she wondered what horrors he had seen that night…

Maddie lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of the events that wrapped around her and her children. Jazz was acting strange. She was a mess. And Danny…?

Danny… He was so pure, but now… What had he seen that gruesome night? She realized that she couldn't handle this. They, as a family couldn't handle this. She slowly came to the conclusion. "I can't do this alone." She whispered.

Vlad sighed contently as he sunk into his king sized bed. Today had been a long day. He looked at his watch.

_12:56 A.M._

He smirked. It had been a long day, but he had gotten a large amount of paperwork done. He now owned the entire chain of the new fast food restaurant, _Hot Dog Depot_. He couldn't help but crinkle his nose. He wasn't fond of hot dogs- but they were very popular, epically on Sunday nights, second to perhaps only burgers. And the restaurant was extremely popular. Still, he would like to have owned a much fancier restaurant, but no one had time anymore. Everyone was on the go, eating like that fat buffoon Jack Fenton.

Instantly the man's posture changed.

_Jack, you idiot_, he thought. You might've killed your own family. _You could have killed Jazz with you. Or Maddie, or… Danny._ The man's expression softened.

What had Danny witnessed that night? The police had informed him that after searching for survivors, the man had been ripped in two. A sharpened piece of glass wedged itself into his head, puncturing his brain. If that wasn't enough, the man's head had been bent "at a strange angle" because of the force of the impact. His eyes had been wide, white, and empty. What did Daniel see? His father's head twisted back so sharply that it was impossible to breathe? The shadow of the glass stuck into his head? Did he break down when he saw the blood leaking out of the car? Did he see the blank stare of a dead man's eyes?

Did he see everything?

Sickened, Vlad closed his eyes tight. Daniel was what, fourteen? Practically a child. What had he done to ever deserve this?

Well, that was an idiotic question. After all, no one deserved that. No one deserved to see their loved one die in such a horrible and gruesome way. In fact, no one deserved to die that way. Vlad swallowed. _Not even an idiot like Jack._

And neither he nor the boy deserved to be stripped of their humanity. At least they put their powers to good use. Danny protected the innocent. Vlad made sure the ghosts did not rise to power and destroy humanity. But to have to see- to live through- death in the most gruesome way possible?

…Vlad sighed heavily.

Life was cruel. Humanity had to make the best of it, and keep hoping.


End file.
